Electronic circuit assemblies that are constructed using thick film techniques typically include solder bonds for electrically connecting discrete components to conductors on an alumina substrate. These conductors are usually made of a palladium-silver composition, or the equivalent, and are printed onto the alumina substrate. Solder is printed over the conductor where a lead of a circuit element is to be connected, and the solder is re-flowed to physically join the lead to the conductor.
Bonds formed by the foregoing technique have a drawback in that they tend to break down when the solder bond is thermally cycled many times. Specifically, solder bonds that start out with a peel strength of about 30 newtons can end up with a peel strength of zero after they have been subjected to more than 100 thermal cycles of temperature changes ranging from -50.degree. C. to +150.degree. C. Thus, solder bonds made as described above require substantial improvement before they are acceptable in applications where substantial thermal cycles occur.